First Week of November

Hello! Here we are, November 1st. The year has flown. I love Halloween - it's such a fun holiday with no pressure. No perfect meal needs to be prepared, no perfect gifts to find... just good fun. And if for some reason some part of your costume doesn't work... you just roll with it. I had a little girl come to the door trick-or-treating and she had wings and cat ears on - when I asked her what she was she said she stared as a fairy, but really liked the cat ears, so she decided she was the kitty fairy. I love it! And I really, really love when daylight savings time ends. The kids went to bed at 7:45 tonight because we didn't change the clocks (purposely!) Bliss! I know it won't last long but I do love a night when the whole house is quiet (except for the dishwasher and washing machine and dryer - those never quit here) and it's just 8:30!

More blessings - my little strawberry blond girl is POTTY TRAINED! She didn't have an accident all weekend even when we were out at the soccer fields and visiting her grandmother. She's waking up in the middle of the night and going too... that kid is a wonder! She's so independent. Doesn't turn three till mid-February. HOORAY! Our oldest boy is off to his fifth grade camp away this week - he's very excited. Oh, and he made ALL B's the first nine weeks with NO MEDS! I am thrilled, thrilled, thrilled to see that he's beginning to manage his ADHD on his own. He has gotten detention twice though, so we are going to meet with his neurologist in a couple of weeks to see if we can get some coping strategies for him. His issue is too much talking, fidgeting, distraction, movement. I'll keep you posted on that one.

Okay, here's the menu for the week. All very easy... that crock pot recipe from last week (the new one with chicken thighs, potatoes, carrots) was a winner. Family cleaned their plates.

Sun: Roast turkey, egg noodles, broccoli, tossed salad, strawberries.
Mon: Orange Chicken (slice raw chicken breast in to thin pieces - width wise if you will - so it looks like you have a whole chicken breast just very thin, all the same thickness so it cooks fast. Dredge in flour, salt, pepper, and a bit of dried thyme. Saute in equal parts butter and olive oil (2 tsp each) till golden - doesn't take long at all. Remove from heat. Combine in pan 1/2 cup white wine, 1/2 cup fresh orange juice, bring to simmer. Pour over chicken.) Serve with fast cooking wild rice, steamed asparagus.
Tues: Buttermilk brined pork chops (new recipe: Let 1/2 inch thick porkchops marinate overnight in 2 cups fat free buttermilk, 2 tbls kosher salt, 2 tbls sugar, 1 tsp grated lemon rind, 1 tsp fresh rosemary, 1 tsp fresh sage. When you're ready to cook the next day, pat pork dry with a paper towel, sprinkle with pepper, cook in grill pan. ) I picked this one because my little herb garden still has sage and rosemary and I wanted to use it. I am going to serve it with roasted butternut squash and steamed green beans.
Wed: Rosemary - Merlot Flat Iron (or Flank) Steak (I love the flat iron steaks... they're cheap and very good. 30 minute marinade for the steak: 1 finely chopped onion, 1 cup beef broth, 1 cup merlot, 1 tbls fresh rosemary, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp italian seasoning, 2 minced garlic cloves. Marinate steak but don't throw away the marinade. Broil the steak or cook in your grill pan till done, cut in thin slices, across the grain. While you cook the steak, heat up the marinade, adding 1 tbls tomato paste and 2 tsp dijon mustard. Bring to a boil and cook till reduced to about one cup. Serve with steak.) Serve with roasted new potatoes, peas, and mandrin oranges.
Thurs: Bowtie pasta with sweet turkey sausage, cannellini beans, and kale. And hot bread. (While pasta is cooking, cook sausage - out of it's casing if it was link sausage and not bulk - about 1/2 cup white wine, a chopped onion, 1/4 cup oil packed sun dried tomatoes - drained but 2 tsp of the oil in the pan with the sausage. Cook till sausage is browned, add 6 cloves of minced garlic, 1 tsp italian seasoning, 1 can of low sodium chicken broth. Stir in one bunch of fresh kale (chopped) and simmer till kale is tender. Add 1 can of drained and rinsed cannellini beans. Add the pasta. If too dry, add in a bit of the pasta water. Top with lots of Parmesan cheese.)
Fri: Baked potato soup with grilled cheese sandwiches. No green to be seen - but I do put celery and carrots in my baked potato soup in the base. By Friday I have to do something simple because I am worn out!

We're having guests over on Saturday night, after two soccer games, me taking the soccer team pictures, my niece's first birthday party at Fort Worth Zoo (one hour away)... Thankfully I think my hubby will NOT have to work this Saturday, which will make it the first Saturday that he's spent with us in seven weeks! I'll need his help with the busy schedule. I saw a recipe in my new Southern Living for a beautiful roast pork with lots of good fixings and I may duplicate that for our guests.

Have a great week, friends. I am so excited to be hitting the hay at 9:00pm!

Cheers!
Mecca